Horseshoe



Oct." 5, 1937. I W. P. KEARNEY 2,094,743

HORSESHOE' Filed Jan. 5, 1935 l-NVENTOR WILLIAM R KEARNEY ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 5, 1937 UNITED STATES Aren't oFFicE HORSESHOE William P. Kearney, BrooklynyN. Y.

Application January 5, 1935, Serial No. 489

12 Claims.

This invention relates to horse shoes, and more particularly to the class of horse shoes in which rubber or other relatively resilient material is used in combination with metal, in order to reduce slipping of the shoe upon smooth surfaces, and in order to cushion, the tread of the horse.

An object of the present invention is to provide a horse shoe of the class described, embodying a resilient cushion, but having no rubber so disposed as to make harmful contact with the horses foot. Another object is to provide a shoe in which all of the horses weight is thrown upon the bearing between the hoof, or wall of the foot, and the shoe, and no substantial part of the weight is borne by the sensitive inner parts of the foot. A further object is the provision of a shoe by means of which the horses foot is maintained at a proper inclination to the pavement or ground, throwing the weight upon the forward part of the foot and reducing tendon strain. Another object is to provide a shoe embodying a cushion of leather or other suitable material between the shoe and the foot, as a protection in the case of unusually brittle hoofs, and

to protect the foot from dampness and filth,

without cutting off the necessary ventilation of the foot or bringing any deleterious, material in contact with the foot.

Other and further objects/features and advantages will appear from the description which follows, together with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan View of a horse shoe made in accordance with the present invention;

5 a Fig. 2 is a bottom View of the shoe-of Fig. 1;

' Fig. 3 is a section on line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a section on line 4-4 of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a section similar to Fig. 3, but

trating a modified form of shoe; and

Fig. 6 is a section similar to Fig. .4, but illustrating a modified form of shoe.

The shoe illustrated in Figs. 1-4 comprises a relatively thin metal insert 5, roughly of typical horse shoe shape, imbedded in a body 6 of Vulcanized rubber or other suitable tough and resilient material, which may be molded about the insert 5 or otherwise securely applied thereto. It will be noted that both edges, and the bottom surface, of the insert 5 are enclosed by the body 6, but the upper surface of the insert 5 is bare. This construction avoids bringing rubber into contact with the horses foot, which is most desirable, as rubber frequently acts adversely upon the foot, chemically and otherwise.

Depending from the body 6 are a toe call: 7

and heel calks 8. From either side of the toe calk 1 arrib 9 extends rearwardly adjacent the inner edge of the body 6 to the adjacent'heel calk 8.- The body, ribs and calks are preferably, though not necessarily, integral.

The metal insert 5 is'provided with the usual nail holes Ill and toe clip H. In preparing the body portion 6 it is preferred to provide it with indentations l2 upon its under surface, corresponding to the nail holes 'ID in the insert 5, thus allowing the nail. to be driven up so that its head is protected from contact with the ground or pavement, or projections thereon. In applying the shoe to the foot the nails are driven through the thin walls I3, which provide supplemental which is in contact only with the hoof or wall of the foot. The recessed portion M of the insert, while not directly in contact with the foot, serves to strengthen the shoe, and to provide a, larger surface of contact between metal and rubber than would occur if this portion of the insert were omitted entirely.

As seen in Fig. 3, the entire cushion portion of the shoe, comprising body, calks and ribs,

' tapers slightly from front to rear, the rear portion being the thicker. This results in tilting the horse's foot slightly forward, which is an advantage in that it relieves tendon strain. .In ,the modification shown in Fig. 5, the entire upper side of the shoe, including the space within .the .U, is covered by a thin sheet of leather l5. This hasthe elfectof a cushion between the hoof and the metal insert 5, which is advantageous in the case of horses with brittle hoofs. .This leather membrane l5 also serves to protect the inner parts of the foot from street and stable filth. Leather is relatively porous, and permits, to a certain extent, the access of air to the foot. Also, leather is chemically inert, and will not have any deleterious effect upon the foot.

In the modification illustrated in Fig. 6, the outer edge of the upper surface of the metal insert 5 is slightly bevelled as at it, and the body 6 of resilient material is provided with a narrow tapered flange I1, extending over the bevelled portion of the insert 5. The flange I 1 serves the double purpose of assisting in the firm bonding of the resilient body to the metal, and providing a slight cushion between the hard and sharp outer edge of the hoof and the metal insert 5. The flange H is not wide enough to bring the resilient material into contact with any portion of the foot which might be harmed by such contact. This form of shoe may be advantageously employed when it is not desired to use the leather membrane I5 between the foot and the shoe.

In the case of racing and jumping horses, the shoe may be made either as illustrated in Figs. 14 or in Fig. 5 or Fig. 6, but reduced in crosssection, to reduce the Weight.

The shoe of the present invention has the advantages of providing a soft cushion between the foot and the pavement, without bringing any deleterious substance in contact with the foot; of avoiding pressure upon the sensitive inner parts of the foot; of providing an anti-slipping surface in contact with the pavement; and. of tilting the horses foot into an easy, strainless position. The shoe of Fig. 5 has the additional advantages of protecting the hoof against chipping and protecting the entire foot from filth, the shoe of Fig. 6 also possessing the first of these advantages. 7

A further advantage of all three forms is that they are relatively noiseless.

The terms and expressions employed herein are used for purposes of description and not of limitation. It is recognized that many modifications of the construction disclosed may be made within the scope of the present invention.

I claim:

1. A horse shoe comprising a body of resilient material and a metal member imbedded therein, said metal member having a continuous upper surface which is recessed along its inner portion.

2. A horse shoe comprising a body of resilient material, a metal member imbedded therein, the upper surface of said member being substantially bare, said body of resilient material being provided with depending toe and heel calks, and integral ribs of resilient material extending between said toe and heel calks.

3. A horse shoe comprising a body of resilient material, a metal member imbedded therein, the upper surface of said member being substantially bare, said body of resilient material being provided with depending toe and heel calks, and integral ribs of resilient material extending between said toe and heel calks, the entire shoe gradually increasing in thickness from front to rear. 7

4. A horse shoe comprising a body of resilient material, a metal member imbedded therein and having a substantially smooth, continuous upper surface recessed along the'inner portion thereof, and toe and heel calks depending from said body of resilient material.

5. A horse shoe comprising a body of resilient material, a metal member imbedded therein and having its upper surface recessed along the inner portion thereof, toe and heel calk portions depending from said body of resilient material, and. integral ribs of less width than the calk portionsjoining said toe and heel calks.

6. A horse shoe comprising a body of resilient material, a metal member imbedded therein and having its upper surface substantially completely exposed and recessed along the inner portion thereof, toe and heel calks depending from said body of resilient material, and integral ribs joining said toe and heel calks, the entire shoe gradually increasing in thickness from front to rear.

7. A horse shoe comprising a body of resilient material, a metal member having an unbroken upper surface imbedded therein, said metal member being recessed along the inner portion of its upper surface, and a layer of leather overlying said metal member and resilient body.

8. A horse shoe comprising a body of resilient material, a metal member having an unbroken upper surface imbedded therein and having said upper surface recessed along the inner portion thereof, toe and heel calks depending from said body of resilient material, and a layer of leather overlying said metal member and resilient body.

9. A horse shoe comprising a body of resilient material, a metal member having an unbroken upper surface imbedded therein and having said upper surface recessed along the inner portion.

thereof, toe and heel calks depending from said body of resilient material, integral ribs joining said toe and heel calks, and a layer of leather overlying said metal member and resilient body.

10. A horse shoe comprising a body of resilient material, a metal member having an unbroken upper surface imbedded therein and having said upper surface recessed along the inner portion thereof, toe and heel calks depending from said body of resilient material, integral ribs joining said toe and heel calks, and a layer of leather overlying said metal member and resilient body and extending across the space between the respective prongs of said shoe.

11. A horse shoe comprising a metal member embedded in a body of resilient material, the upper surface of said member being substantially completely exposed and recessed along its inner portion, heel and toe calk portions depending from said body, narrow portions of resilient material integral with and connecting said calk portions, and means offset from said narrow portions for attaching the metal member to a hoof.

12. A horse shoe comprising a metal member embedded in a body of resilient material, the

upper surface of said member being substantially completely exposed and recessed along its inner portion, heel and toe calk portions depending from said body, integral ribs beneath said recessed portion connecting said calk portions, and means outwardly of said ribs for attaching the metal member to a hoof.

WILLIAM P. KEARNEY. 

